A former Garissa County minister with a bullet lodged in his head after being shot in August is still in a coma although he is improving, a friend has said.

Mr Idriss Mukhtar, 33, was shot in Nairobi’s Kileleshwa in the early hours of August 19 in an attempted murder.

He is still at the intensive care unit in Nairobi Hospital and he has since begun breathing without the use of a ventilator.

According to Mr Salah Yakub, a friend who has been coordinating advocacy efforts following the shooting, the former Finance executive committee member can now cough a little, swallow saliva and execute small movements.

“His condition in terms of blood pressure, pulse, heartbeat, all those things are stable, just like a normal person,” Mr Yakub told said on Friday.

INDIA

newsideHe added that recently, doctors at the hospital performed a minor procedure to remove fluid from Mr Mukhtar’s brain.

“The family is now thinking of relocating him to India so that he can get further treatment and the way forward in terms of bringing him back to consciousness, by either removing the bullet or whatever it is,” Mr Yakub, who served as a minister with Mr Mukhtar under former governor Nathif Jama said.

“There is consultation between doctors in India and Kenya. It’s a very expensive exercise because he has to be transported in a private medical jet,” Mr Yakub.

SUSPECT DIES

The shooting of Mr Mukhtar caused shock waves in Garissa, especially after incumbent Ali Korane was questioned by police on whether he was involved in the crime.

It raised more eyebrows when Mr David Mwai, the main suspect in the shooting, died mysteriously at Parklands Police Station.

Already, two suspects have been charged in connection with the shooting. The trial of Mr Mohamud Hussein Aden and Ms Juliet Charity Njoki will start on October 17.